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Interview

A version of this interview first appeared in the London Evening Standard here at the start of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Martin went on to pick up a lastminute.com Edinburgh Comedy Award nomination for her show Dope.

Tom Ward has been on my radar for a few years now. First because he was bloody weird, and more recently because he is bloody funny. Ward has harnessed his oddball side and made it much more relatable lately, while still retaining that special, indefinable Tom Ward Something. His latest show, Love Machine, touches on issues that everyone with a pulse will recognise. Well, almost everyone. As he puts it, "heartbreak, living (and dancing) alone in a house with no heating or hot water, mother problems, being 91% straight (prev.

An iconic black and white photograph by ace photographer Andy Hollingworth did the rounds a few years ago. It featured Katherine Ryan, Sara Pascoe, Aisling Bea and Tiff Stevenson backstage at a festival, sharing drinks and smiles. Four strong, empowered funny women. Since then Bea, Pascoe and Ryan have all gone on to big things. Maybe 2017 will be outspoken stand-up Stevenson’s year.

It is often said that the best comedians make you see the world in a fresh way. Well, Jenny Bede has certainly done that with her answer to my first question. Bede is the first comedian to point out that it doesn't actually make any sense. I may have to reconsider every life decision I have ever made. But before then I'll go and see her new show, Eggtime. Bede is best known for her viral videos, which have attracted millions and millions of YouTube hits.

Musical comedian Harriet Braine has been making a bit of a splash on the comedy competition circuit recently. She was the 2016 Funny Women Award winner, a So You Think You're Funny? Finalist and Musical Comedy Awards Best Newcomer and once you've seen her it is easy to see why she is doing so well. As the title of her debut full-length show, Total Eclipse of the Art, indicates, Braine likes a bit of pop-basd wordplay.

Tony Law has been a cult comic for too long. It's about time he broke big. And maybe this is his year. He picked up an Edinburgh Comedy Award nomination a few years back and is probably better and more focussed than ever now. The self-appointed "maverick truth slinger of ridiculousness for the people" is zany, madcap, whimsical, all those things, but most importantly, truly funny from tee to green.

Impeccable Irishman Ed Byrne hardly needs an introduction. In fact by the sound of it he hardly needs any publicity given the way tickets for his new tour have been flying out of the nation's box offices. Having announned his 2017 Spoiler Alert tour earlier this year, he has already added a big batch of dates in 2018 die to exceptional demand.

Comedian Dave Johns has graciously found time in his hectic filming schedule to answer our Rarely Asked Questions. Since appearing in the award-winning Ken Loach film I, Daniel Blake, the genial comic's acting career has taken off. He has two other films in the pipeline. A wrestling movie, Walk Like A Panther, and Two Graves, a thriller set in the north east.